I was very sad when Home Ales sold up and then closed. Personally, I would have put money on it being a survivor, They seemed o have everything well under control. Until they didn't.
Home
Daybrook,
Nottingham.
Founded: 1890
Closed: 1996
Tied houses: 400
The largest of the three Nottingham brewers, Home Ales was a very well-run business. With cheap, reliable beer sold in unpretentious surroundings. Not the most thrilling of beers, but always in good condition. Their downfall was the installation of a new brewhouse. This caused infection problems that they were never able to solve. Their beer went from always being sound to almost always being infected. After a year or two, they sold up to Scottish & Newcastle in 1986.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1038.7 | well hopped |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1036.1 | Dark Mild |
| Five Star | Pale Ale | keg | 1047.5 | high gravity keg beer |
| Robin Hood IPA | IPA | bottled | 1045 | strong Pale Ale |
| Bendigo | Strong Ale | bottled | strong Ale | |
| Home Brewed | Brown Ale | bottled | 1036 | Brown Ale |
| Luncheon Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | A lighter Brown Ale | |
| Home Stout | Stout | bottled | 1037 | Sweet Stout |
Hook Norton
Hook Norton,
Oxfordshire.
Founded: 1852
Closed: still open
Tied houses: 34
Owner of a classic Victorian tower brewery, Hook Norton had a small tied estate in close vicinity. With such a small estate, in such a limited area, their beers weren’t easy to find, other than at festivals. Once, while driving down to a gig in London, we stopped in one of their pubs. Well worth the effort.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Best Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036 | with the smack of hops |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1032 | dark and fruity |
| Old Hookey | Old Ale | draught | 1049 | |
| Jack Pot | Pale Ale | bottled | 1036 | bottled Best Bitter |
| Hook Ale | Mild | bottled | 1032 | bottled Mild |
| Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled |
Hoskins
Leicester,
Leicestershire.
Founded: 1877
Closed: 2001
Tied houses: 1
A tiny brewery which was based in Leicester, but whose only tied house was in Market Bosworth. They also owned an off-licence and had some free trade. Despite that, their beers were very hard to find. Quite an odd little brewery.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1039 | nutty-flavoured |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1033 | dark and nutty |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | keg | 1039 | |
| Mild | Mild | keg | 1033 | |
| Home Brewed | Pale Ale | bottled | A Pale Ale | |
| IPA | IPA | bottled | stronger, bottled Bitter | |
| Strong | Strong Ale | bottled | Strong Dark Ale | |
| Best Mild | Mild | bottled | bottled Mild | |
| Nut Brown | Brown Ale | bottled | a Brown Ale stronger than the Mild |
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5 comments:
Amazing that a brewery with only one tied house survived for so long.
Only one of those I have had is Hook Norton bitter. Lovely ale.
Oscar
I've drunk a fair amount of Old Hookey and would always order it when it was on at an adult beverages establishment. Surprised it was an old ale, always thought it was just a strong bitter.
In Australia our biggest liquor barn chain, Dan Murphy's, regularly stocks Hook Norton bottled beers in half litre size.
Currently offering Twelve Days Porter 5.5%, Haymaker 5.0% and Old Hooky 4.6%. And at the equivalent of £3 a bottle, not bad at all considering that they are £2.35 at UK Tesco!!!!
I grew up in the Nottingham area so was well aware of Home Ales but they were just one of many local breweries that no longer exist - Kimberly, Mansfield , Hardy & Hanson and yes, even Shipstones! However, Castle Rock are now making some excellent brews, unfortunately Hemlock Bitter is not one of their permanant products - but is fabulous when available!
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